McAFEE, Robert Breckinridge, lawyer, born in Mercer county, Kentucky, in February, 1784; died there, 12 March, 1849. His ancestors left Sinking Creek, Botetourt County, Virginia, 1 June, 1773, and settled in Kentucky, where they were conspicuous in the Indian warfare of the time. Robert was educated at various schools and at Transylvania seminary, studied law, and began practise in Mercer county. He was one of the first Kentuckians to join the northwestern army at the opening of the war of 1812, and became successively sergeant, ensign, and 2d lieutenant. He was quartermaster in Colonel Richard M. Johnson's regiment when it relieved Fort Wayne from a threatened Indian attack. In 1813 he became captain in this regiment, and was actively employed on the frontier. At the close of the war he retired to his farm in Mercer county, and in 1819 was elected to the legislature. From 1820 till 1824 he was lieutenant-governor of Kentucky. He presided over the senate during the bitter and exciting contest known as the new and old court controversy, which virtually involved the question of the repudiation of a debt of doubtful legality by the state, and which was decided by the maintenance of all its obligations, though they had been obtained by fraud. He declined an election to congress in i829, and served again in the legislature in 1831-'2. Mr. McAfee was a member of the Baltimore convention of 1832 which nominated General Jackson for president. From 1833 till 1837 he resided at Bogota, Columbia, as United States charge d'affaires. In 1841 he again served in the state senate, and in 1845 he retired from public life. He was a member of the Royal antiquarian society of Denmark, and an honorary member of the Kentucky historical society. He wrote a " History of the War of 1812 " (Lexington, 1816), and was the author of a private journal containing much information relative to the early history of Kentucky.